Despite Google’s better efforts, the operating system update on Android has long been a mess, disrupted. The launch of Android 11 will solve a number of problems, with Google likely to force manufacturers to use an A / B Virtual partitioned update system.

Recently To do to the Android Vendor Test Suite (VTS) shows that it will immediately check that A / B Partitions are enabled for devices running Android 11. If not, the test will fail.

This change is not yet in production, and Google can easily change its mind before the official launch of Android 11, which is expected to land in the coming months.

Partitioned – or “seamless” updates work by copying the new version of Android to a separate partition on the device’s internal storage. When users reboot the phone, they boot into a partition that contains a newer software version.

This technology is not new. Google introduced features with Android 7.0 Nougat, as part of its Project Treble initiative. However, Google failed to mandate that OEMs actually use it. Predictably, this has caused inconsistencies in the entire Android ecosystem.

Recovery and pause on the mobile stroker’s custom day

Some manufacturers, especially Google itself, use A / B Partitions to provide updates, while others (such as Samsung and OPPO) have their own approach. Much of this depends on the phone entering recovery mode, preventing users from using the device while the update is being installed.

Partitioned updates resolve the issue. They also make it easier to roll back to a functioning version of Android, if the installation fails or is damaged.

Android updates have long been a tricky subject for Google. Unlike iOS, there is no universal standard for how quickly and frequently updates are rolled out because this is primarily the field of OEMs and operators.

The final result? Only 12.45 percent of Android phones use the latest and greatest operating system, Android 10, according to Statcounter. Less than half use the latest version, Android Pie. Surprisingly, more than 9 percent of Android phones use Version 6.0, which is no longer supported by Google.

To overcome this problem, Google has uninstalled many system-level applications and services from the core operating system, which allows it to be updated through the Google Play Store rather than through irregular device updates.

This technically makes updates faster and cheaper to use, although it still largely depends on the desires of the device manufacturer. Thrusting a standard update system will help further, but without some serious rounds from Google, it is likely that this problem will still exist. ®